


Probability Theory

by BlueberryLimoncello, Pachycephalopod



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Author Commentary, Bending Genetics, Crack Treated Seriously, Dark Undertones, Eugenics, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Nerdiness, Science, archaic science, smol bean, turtle ducks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25795609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueberryLimoncello/pseuds/BlueberryLimoncello, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pachycephalopod/pseuds/Pachycephalopod
Summary: A passionate biologist advises Ozai against eugenics.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	Probability Theory

**Author's Note:**

> The science in this is not accurate. Please don't try to correct us, the co-author is a molecular biologist and we have tried to write this in a way that fits the knowledge of time period.

Advisor Li entered the throne room hurriedly, papers flying behind him. He took a moment to pick them up but stopped once he felt the Fire Lord’s eyes on him. Quickly composing himself, he bowed before his lord, “My Lord! I just received word that you have sent out a hunting party for air benders. Is this true?” 

Seated on the throne, Ozai returned his gaze to the scroll in front of him, and replied almost nonchalantly, “Mm.” He gave a single short nod. “Yes, even though we were victorious against the four air nomad temples, there has to be more of them. Bending cannot simply disappear because all known benders are eliminated.”

The diminutive man resisted the urge to wipe at the sweat beading on his forehead, “What do you mean? We’ve monitored the population for airbenders for nearly one hundred years now. Surely we must’ve found them all. This seems excessive sir.”

His monarch glared down at him, eyes sharp and voice sharper (enough to puncture the hull of an empire-class Fire-nation battleship ~ Pachi), “Do _not_ question my authority. I know they’re out there.”

Li flinched, papers shaking as he raised his hands in defense, “Sir! I would never question your authority! I only wish to understand why you’ve come to this decision. Azulon himself stopped actively hunting the airbenders, so I don’t understand what would have changed your mind...” His voice trailed, unsure if bringing up the dead was a wise decision.

Ozai’s voice thundered in the cavernous throne room, threatening pain, “I am not my father. He was not as _thorough_ as I am. I have extensively researched this topic. The bloodline may not be obvious, but I’m sure there must be remnants, hiding in the crevices of society like a damned spider-rat.”

“... Beg pardon sir, but -”

“The true nature of bending inheritance is complicated, especially with such substandard elements. Not all benders have bender parents, we may have missed a few if it skipped a generation. You must be aware of how difficult of an infestation they are to be rid of.” 

Li bit his lip hesitantly before risking a response. “Sir, with all respect, from my studies, it seems that all air nomads were airbenders. If an air nomad escaped, they wouldn’t be able to hide their bloodline.” The advisor’s hands trembled as they held out his papers for the Fire Lord to see, hoping the written words and diagrams would lend his claim enough weight to see his life spared.

Ozai rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward to look down on his advisor with a predatorial glint to his gaze. “With other benders, a bending pair can have non-bending offspring so why not airbending?” 

The advisor quelled the stutter that arose in his throat, tongue dry and palm sweaty (mom’s spaghetti ~ Pachi), “It isn’t impossible that different bending abilities may be inherited differently from parent to offspring. Perhaps the air nomads were all benders because airbending runs more strongly through bloodlines than, for example, waterbending. If that was the case, we wouldn't see airbending skip generations like waterbending does.”

Any other day, or any other audience, he would’ve been ecstatic to discuss the topic at hand. It truly was fascinating to think about, the complexity and uniqueness of bending ability and the mixing of blood to create things never before seen. 

Ozai sighed as he straightened back into his seat, his frown deepening as stern disappointment replaced the cold interest he wore just a minute ago.

“Your reasoning does not support your original statement. You say that waterbending can skip generations but we are discussing the airbenders.”

Li’s face broke out in a manic smile as he bounced a bit on his toes, “Yes! Exactly! They are different!-”

His audience shifted his gaze in disinterest, no longer willing to listen to his advisor’s half-formed theoretical nonsense. He already knew about bending, and he didn’t need some over-rated non-bender bookworm to explain it to him. “I just said that.” He spit out, his tone frigid despite the warmth of the hall, “There are air nomad refugees still alive and breeding. Which means that it hasn’t been completely erased. We can't stop hunting simply because there are no _visible_ air benders. We can't be complacent. My father was naive to believe otherwise.”

The smaller man paled. “My apologies sir, I wasn’t clear. What I am trying to say is that the mode of bending inheritance is not necessarily the same between different elements. I believe that airbending cannot hide easily from the fire nation by skipping generations like other bending can.”

“Why is it different?” Ozai’s gaze slid back, resting on his small advisor (so smol ~Blue). The Fire Lord stroked his chin, gesturing eloquently with his other hand for Li to explain.

Li noticed the renewed interest and took a breath, quelling his rising hope and anxiety (notice me Ozai senpai ~Pachi). “I can’t say for sure sir, but I believe that different bending abilities are stored in the blood separately from each other. They have entirely different methods of being passed to the next generation.” 

“Then what about the case where people have multiple bending abilities? You do not account for the Avatar. If bending is stored in the blood, the abilities would blend into one ability; you can’t keep blood separate when it flows throughout the body.”

His advisor nodded, bobbing his head and reminding Ozai of one of the turtle ducks in the imperial gardens, “You can think of it like a whole body. The body contains many organs within it, all separate but working together to make a live human. Likewise, the blood can hold many separate abilities, such as types of bending, that are independent from one another but may work together if present. I believe that there are multiple of these independently operating abilities present in multi-benders and none in non-benders.”

 _Perhaps what he was saying was of some merit_ , “So what you’re saying is that nonbenders cannot carry bending at all. It just isn’t present in the blood.”

Li nodded even more energetically, voice reaching a higher octave than before, “But! And here is where it gets interesting sir, those separate abilities within the blood can be hidden depending on which ability it is.”

The advisor’s exuberance was wearing on the Fire Lord’s already thin patience. Ozai settled his gaze on a tapestry on the opposite wall.

Li politely ignored his monarch’s thousand yard stare and tucked a dark (ebony darkness ravenway ~Blue) curly lock behind an ear before continuing, “I believe air bending cannot be hidden but because that ability is a separate organ per se from waterbending, there is no reason to believe they would be inherited in the same manner.”

“So what you’re saying is that when airbending is present in the blood it expresses itself 100% of the time, but this is not the case with other elements.”

Advisor Li’s face broke into a slightly strained smile, “Yes! Exactly sir! Your understanding is quite advanced sir!”

Ozai gave a slow, regal, nod, “I understand now that airbending is always visibly inherited. But is it possible that an airbender could have such weak bending that it may have been overlooked initially, as with my disappointment of a son?”

Li startled at that; he had not realized quite how much the failure of the young prince affected his Lord. Treading carefully, he continued “It seems that firebending appears with different levels of skill. I cannot say for sure whether this applies to airbending or even why it occurs with firebending. From the books I have read about the air nomads, though there are few left, it seems that air benders consistently had great skill in bending. I see no reason why that would have changed for an escapee.” He tried not to dwell on the book thing. With the air temples destroyed and the Fire Nation’s limited history books, his lack of primary sources about the old air nomad traditions had become a bruise on his academic pride, among other things.

“Great skill can be used to hide great talent. It’s easy not to use your bending.”

That gave Li pause, the very idea sitting uncomfortably in his head. _Hiding one’s bending? Is that even possible? Bending was such an intrinsic part of life that to hide it to the extent Fire Lord Ozai was implying… it was not likely to be successful for long_ “I’m not sure sir... Would you be able to?”

“... of course I would.”

Li didn’t comment on the second of silence between the question and his leader’s answer. 

“Of course sir.” The advisor wrung his hands, eventually placing them behind him in an attempt to hide their shaking, “With all this said sir, how likely is it really that even one air nomad has managed to hide for 100 years? Would these hunting resources not be better put to use elsewhere?”

“Perhaps…”

The sound of footsteps approaching from behind drew Li’s attention.

“Fire Lord Ozai, sir! We have just received word! The avatar has been spotted!”

_...Fuck._

The effort he spent squashing his earlier hope was not wasted. 

_This is it. It’s over… Yangchen._

Ozai nods to the messenger, turning to face his advisor once more with a small smirk, “I believe this conversation is over.”

* * *

Advisor Li rushed out the door and hurried home. Somewhere along his journey he lost a shoe and half his mind. He burst open the door to his home. There on the floor, in full view of the entrance, was his daughter. She looked up at him with a smile, two front teeth missing. 

Li panicked even more, “Yangchen! What did I tell you this morning! Put that down!” 

A fire princess doll dropped from the air where it had been floating, buoyed by puffs above Yangchen’s palms. He knew he’d been too harsh when her eyes started to shine and her bottom lip trembled. 

A tall willowy woman with a fiery expression emerged from the back of the house, wiping a hand on her apron, “Lee! Don’t shout at her, what has gotten into you? Did something happen at the palace?” She snapped back at him.

Lee turned sadly to his wife, Laon.

“Daddy?” Yangchen looks up at him in hurt confusion.

Lee sighed. “I’m sorry for yelling, it’s nothing sweetheart. Go get washed up for dinner.”

Yangchen picked up her doll and walked away, looking behind her once more before exiting the room.

Laon looked down at her husband, “Lee… what happened? Did you speak with him?”

“I did”

“And?”

Lee took a step towards his wife and cupped her face in his hand, brushing her side ponytail off her shoulder.

“Are you packed?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Dont forget to drop a kudo or a comment and tell us what you think!


End file.
